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Democratic Republic of Congo: Clandestine Abortions on the Rise in Goma

Illegal abortion is a common practice in several provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in Goma, Nord-Kivu. Congolese law prohibits abortion in all parts of the country. The situation in Goma is becoming increasingly worrisome.

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Ecuador: Refugee Women and Girls Turning to Sex Work

A video documentary examines the situation with Colombian women who had to migrate across the border into Ecuador due to violence. In many cases, without being able to gain legal employment, the women and their underage daughters find themselves turning to sex-work to make a living.

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Bangladesh: Eviction of Slum in Dhaka Creates Humanitarian Catastrophe

Syria: A Year On, From Beirut With Love 26 March 2012
Palestine: Gazans Suffer Due to Fuel and Electricity Shortage 26 March 2012
Uganda: Yes We Kony! 15 March 2012
After Kony 2012, “What I Love About Africa” Reclaims Narrative 14 March 2012
Italy Condemned for Violations of African Refugee Rights 12 March 2012

Latest stories about Humanitarian Response

13 April 2012

Italy: Netizens Ponder the April 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake

Written by Paola DOrazio · Translated by Superjules · Western Europe

In the third anniversary of the tragic event, citizens came together in the streets and online, creating web-pages, posts and Twitter hashtags to share memories, comments and broader hope for a still lagging reconstruction.

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21 March 2012

China: Debate on Kony 2012

Written by Bob Chen · East Asia

The Kony 2012 viral video also drew significant attention in China. On the popular Chinese video site Youku, the same video harvested over 8 million views in a few days. Here netizens discuss their reactions.

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Mali: Facing Secession and Food Crisis as Elections Loom

Written by Lova Rakotomalala · Sub-Saharan Africa

Mali is currently facing critical challenges while preparing for the presidential elections on April 29. After the fall of Gaddafi in Libya, returning Tuareg armed groups posted there threaten to seek secession for the Azawad territory, or Northern Mali.

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16 March 2012

Arab World: Hands Off Clooney!

Written by Amira Al Hussaini · Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

The United States has arrested actor George Clooney and his father Nick at a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC. Arab Twitter users register their protest on their arrest on Twitter.

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14 March 2012

Hong Kong: UNHCR's Subsidy Cut and Donation Black Hole

Written by Tina Chan · East Asia

The UNHCR in Hong Kong is being questioned by several non-governmental bodies regarding its reduction in the day-to-day financial aid for refugees in Hong Kong, in spite of the huge amount of donation coming from private donors in Hong Kong.

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9 March 2012

Myanmar: Life Inside a Refugee Camp

Written by tan · East Asia

Global Voices Author Tan translated a three-part series of blog posts written by a Burmese blogger Nang Nyi who visited a Kachin refugee camp in Myanmar and recounted her experience there. The refugees fled their villages after clashes broke out between government troops and Kachin rebels.

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8 March 2012

China: Net Initiative to Help Occupational Lung Disease Sufferers

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

A netizen initiated charity project 'Love Save Pneumoconiosis', was launched in mid 2011, to help out sufferers of pneumoconiosis. This occupational lung disease, caused by inhalation of dust, particularly affects migrant labourers in rural China.

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26 February 2012

China, Koreas: Netizens Express Humanitarian Concern Over North Korean Refugees

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

As the Chinese government continues to repatriate North Korean refugees who succeed in fleeing into China, views among the country's netizens are split but seem to show more sympathy than adherence to realpolitik

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15 February 2012

Madagascar: The Aftermath of Cyclone Giovanna in Videos and Photos

Written by Lova Rakotomalala · Sub-Saharan Africa

Cyclone Giovanna made landfall on February 13 at 20h00 local time. The cyclone is classified as a category 4, with winds of up to 194km (120mph) ripping up trees and electricity pylons. Official reports stated that there are at least 10 casualties as of now.

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5 February 2012

China: Veto of UN Security Council Draft Resolution on Syria Draws Praise and Grief

Written by John Kennedy · East Asia

Once again, China and Russia have vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution aimed at bringing peace to Syria. The latest proposal calls for an end to the killings of those involved in an uprising against the country's current president.

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Updates about Humanitarian Response

26 April 2012

Bangladesh

Michelle Chaplin at BRAC Blog posts a video (with subtitles), which shares the initial reactions of some of the people who lost their homes in the recent Korail slum eviction in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

• Rezwan

16 April 2012

Nigeria

Emannuel Iduma discusses #SaveOke campaign in the context of Kony 2012: “I am interested, in joining my voice to #SaveOke, in telling ways in which KONY 2012 implicate readings of virality…If a #SaveOke video is made, and it goes viral, the complex questions of white supremacy and black inactivity will not arise. We might just ask, ‘is this real?’ or ‘why exhibit his ailment?’ Those questions are within the realm of simplicity. This is a simple, human, matter.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

28 March 2012

Sri Lanka

The Puppeteer invokes the debate “how should we react to beggars?” How do we know they are sincere or professionals?

• Rezwan

20 March 2012

Macedonia

DarjanR, ArsovaM, and Angie_Mkd have issued a call [mk] for participation in creating a pocket-size book with the most interesting tweets, and invited other Macedonian Twitter users to submit their favorites. They are also trying to crowdsource the design, printing and publishing. Proceeds will go to charity. One of the first users to respond was i999y, who started posting [mk] excerpts from his collection of funny tweets on his blog.

• Filip Stojanovski

14 March 2012

China

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens' reaction to “Kony 2012″.

• Oiwan Lam

13 March 2012

China

The Marmot's hole blog displayed interesting discussion threads on Chinese repatriation of North Korean defectors. Several reports revealed last week Chinese government sent back 31 North Korean defectors to North Korea where even families who helped those to escape from the country are being arrested and interrogated.

• Lee Yoo Eun

9 March 2012

Haiti

“The draw-down of hundreds of non-governmental organizations which have been in Haiti since the disastrous 2010 earthquake was inevitable. But with their departure, so, too goes their purse and the millions earmarked for cleaning latrines”: Haiti Grassroots Watch examines “what…that mean[s] for the half a million displaced still living in camps.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

8 March 2012

English

A new website, WE-NATO, invites to citizen dialogue on issues related to the agenda of the intergovernmental military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Website contributors include senior members of NATO leadership, including a video blog by the General Secretary and a live webchat with the Assistant Secretary General for NATO’s Public Diplomacy to mark International Women's Day on March 8, 2012.

• Solana Larsen

24 February 2012

Haiti

The Millikan Daily meets a “beach head for incoming Methodists to Haiti” and is less than impressed with her “mission”, saying: “I for one, am touched that there are people so kind and devout in their servitude to God that they would drink his blood all night on Ash Wednesday to better help His poor children of Haiti.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

10 February 2012

North Korea

Robert Park, a Korean-American missionary and human rights activist who went to North Korea on 2009, sued North Korea for sexual torture. Park crossed into the country in protest of North Korea's human rights atrocity. However, as Marmot's Hole blogger wrote, the new has drawn some cynical reactions.

• Lee Yoo Eun